Students who like to put their own meal together
You already have some carbs or vegetables and want a tin you can season yourself. In that case, the proportion of fish and the usable quantity matter more than whether it comes with a sauce.
Which option suits you?
Students in a hurry who want something ready to serve
You want to add something straight from the tin to toast, a salad, pasta or rice. Check the proportion of fish and the drained weight: sauce or oil takes up some of the tin too.
Students looking for a particular recipe
You’re happy to spend a larger share of your dinner budget on a specific flavour or organic ingredients. Look for the feature you want on the label, then compare it with the amount of mackerel you get.
What should you compare before buying?
When choosing a tin for a student dinner, start with what you already have to serve it with, then compare the usable quantity and the ingredients in each recipe.
| What to compare | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of the meal and quantity | Compare the cost for the same quantity and the net or drained weight, then consider what else you’ll need to make up your dinner. | If a small tin is going with my pasta or vegetables, I want to know how much it actually adds. The cost of the meal is the main priority for around 42% of consumers. |
| What’s in the fillets | Read the ingredients list, check the proportion of mackerel and look at the nutritional information per 100 g, particularly the salt content. | If I prefer to make my own sauce, I look for fillets with ingredients I can easily check. Around 33% of consumers put simplicity first. |
| Recipe and seasoning | Check the type and proportion of oil, any organic ingredients listed or the sauce, as well as the proportion of fish. | If I want to serve the mackerel without making a dressing, I might look for a particular flavour or organic ingredients. This is the main priority for around 25% of consumers. |
Mistakes to avoid
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Assuming a more elaborate recipe means more fish
The proportions vary from one recipe to another. Carrefour lists 60% fillets and 37% extra virgin olive oil for its Carrefour Extra chilli fillets. E.Leclerc lists 56.2% fillets for its Pêche Océan Dijon mustard recipe. These figures relate to two specific products, not all seasoned tins.
Before choosing a seasoned recipe over plain fillets, compare the percentage of mackerel and, where shown on the packaging, the drained weight.
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Going by the size of the tin alone
A small tin may be enough to top a dish, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will make up the whole dinner you have in mind.
Check the stated weight and decide what you’ll serve it with before comparing two tin sizes.
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Choosing based only on an organic claim or Nutri-Score
An organic ingredients claim and a Nutri-Score don’t tell you the proportion of fish or everything in the recipe. Nutri-Score is no substitute for the nutritional information and ingredients list.
Choose the feature that matters for your meal, then check the ingredients and nutritional information per 100 g for the exact product.
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Forgetting what’s in the sauce
Mackerel fillets contain fish; a mustard recipe may also contain mustard, as does the Pêche Océan recipe mentioned by E.Leclerc. Storage instructions after opening also depend on the product.
Check the allergens and instructions on the tin you buy, especially if you don’t plan to finish it once opened.
Brands to consider for the recipe you’re after
These brands offer different types of tinned mackerel to compare. The ingredients and proportions below apply only to the specific products named.
Petit Navire
A brand to consider when comparing plain fillets with seasoned recipes.
- According to Petit Navire, its plain steamed mackerel fillets contain 99% mackerel fillets and salt. The stated values are 21 g of protein and 1.0 g of salt per 100 g.
- These figures don’t apply to Petit Navire’s oil or sauce recipes, so check their individual labels before comparing them.
Saupiquet
Worth considering if you’re specifically looking for an olive oil recipe with organic ingredients listed.
- Saupiquet states that its organic olive oil mackerel fillets contain 78% mackerel fillets and 20% organic extra virgin olive oil.
- The proportion of oil matters when comparing these with plain fillets. Also check whether the nutritional information you’re looking at applies to the drained product.
Carrefour Extra
A recipe to consider if you want to serve fillets that are already seasoned with chilli.
- Carrefour states that this product contains 60% white mackerel fillets, 37% extra virgin olive oil and 1.4% chilli.
- Compare it as an oil and chilli recipe, rather than as the equivalent of a tin of plain fillets.
Pêche Océan / Marque Repère E.Leclerc
Plain and mustard recipes to choose between, depending on how you plan to serve them for dinner.
- The range shown by E.Leclerc includes plain fillets in a 95 g tin and a Dijon mustard recipe in a 169 g tin.
- According to E.Leclerc, the mustard recipe contains 56.2% fillets, so the tin’s full weight isn’t all fish.
Auchan
A small tin in olive oil to consider if you want to add something to a salad or toast.
- Auchan states that its 85 g product contains 87.5% mackerel fillets and 12% extra virgin olive oil.
- Check whether this size gives you the quantity you want once you’ve taken the rest of your dinner into account.
An option on Joybuy
These olive oil fillets could go well with a salad or another quick meal. To see how they fit into a dinner on a tight budget, compare the amount of fish and the tin size with the plain or sauced recipes you’re considering.
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EL TATO Mackerel fillets in olive oil 115/80 g
Worth considering as a salad topping or to add to a quick meal with olive oil fillets.
The size is listed as “115/80 g”. Check the packaging to see what these two weights refer to, along with the proportion of mackerel, before comparing the usable quantity.
Frequently asked questions
How do you compare two tins in different sizes?
Compare their nutritional information on the same basis, then check the net weight, the drained weight if stated, and the proportion of mackerel. The DGCCRF states that nutritional declarations for prepacked foods are given per 100 g or 100 ml to make comparisons easier.
Is olive oil on its own a good reason to choose a different recipe?
Not necessarily. It may suit the seasoning you’re after, but the proportions of oil and fish vary from tin to tin. To compare specific products, Auchan states that its 85 g fillets contain 12% olive oil, Saupiquet lists 20% for its organic olive oil fillets, and Carrefour lists 37% for its Extra chilli recipe.
Which allergens should you check in a mackerel recipe?
Check the fish and any ingredients specific to the recipe. The Pêche Océan Dijon mustard product shown by E.Leclerc, for example, contains mustard. Read the ingredients list and allergen information on the tin you choose rather than relying on the sauce name alone.
What should you do with an opened tin?
Follow the storage instructions after opening on the product you’ve bought. If you don’t finish the tin with dinner, check the stated storage time and refrigeration instructions before keeping the rest.